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Posts for tag: Sneakers

‘Tis the Season! It is always a great feeling reading about people helping the community--it’s an even better feeling when you’re the one doing it. Regardless, I truly don’t think it is done enough. There are many people out there who are less fortunate than most and they deserve to be cared for. And that is exactly what Andre McDonnell is doing. McDonnell is chief retail associate at Atrium clothing in New York. He founded a non-profit organization called “It’s From The Sole”. It’s astonishing what his foundation does--”We refurbish the sneaker, clean the sneaker, take the inner soles out, wash them...We go around New York City and give homeless people sneakers”, said McDonnell in an interview.

The quality of the shoes a person wears is extremely important in overall foot health; and that stems to how the foot works on a biomechanical level to making sure the foot is off-loaded or protected in the proper areas. It’s probably evident that homeless people lack the resources to obtain new shoes so they are at a higher risk of developing abnormal foot mechanics, possible ulcers which could eventually lead to infections. With that said, it’s crucial that our patients are in the correct shoe gear--especially our diabetic patients. So, the next time you visit your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care in Monroe and Edison, NJ make sure you have them take a look at your shoes so they can tell you if you are wearing what you should be wearing.

McDonnell said in an interview, he once saw a homeless person without shoes near a park where he was playing basketball. McDonnell took his sneakers off and gave them to the homeless person, whom smiled at him and accepted his shoes. It’s gestures like these that need to happen more and all it takes is one person--I think McDonnell has started something big! To find out how to donate your sneakers or money, visit www.facebook.com/itsfromthesole for more information.